Nannyberry – Viburnum Lentago: Edible & Medicinal Uses of a Black Haw Cousin

Nannyberry - Viburnum Lentago

Around Haliburton, nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) is one of our uncommon bush cranberries. It may be found on wet banks, river edges, or in wet meadows. It’s on the taller side as bush cranberries go. In appearance and usage, it’s much like black haw, which grows just to our south in the States. It’s also similar …

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Honey Locust – Gleditsia Triacanthos: Edible & Medicinal Uses of The Thorn Tree

Honey Locust - Gleditsia Triacanthos

Honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) is not listed in Haliburton Flora, as it’s another southern Ontario native. And even there it is rare. The tree has rather nefarious looking clusters of large thorns. And memorable large, brown boomerang shaped seed pods. Where I grew up, quite a ways south of Ontario, honey locust had filled a …

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Red-berried Elder – Sambucus Racemosa: Edible & Medicinal Uses of The Other Elderberry

Red-berried Elder – Sambucus Racemosa

Red elderberry or red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa) is not as edible and medicinal or renown as its relative common elderberry is. But it wins in another area. It’s a wildlife favourite. As soon as the berries are ready, birds flock to this shrub and clear them out quickly. Its early blooms attract pollinators too. And …

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Chokeberries – Aronia SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of Choke Berries Not Choke Cherries

Chokeberries – Aronia SPP.

Todays plant is chokeberries (Aronia spp.), not the more popular chokecherries. Sometimes chokeberry shrubs are included in the genus Photinia instead of Aronia. Chokeberries are one of the less popular native shrubs. Even unheard of. These under-the-radar native shrubs are related to roses. The only species listed in Haliburton Flora is purple chokeberry (Aronia x …

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Eastern Leatherwood – Dirca Palustris: Medicinal & Alternative Uses of Rope Wood

Eastern Leatherwood – Dirca Palustris

Moosewood AKA Eastern leatherwood (Dirca palustris) has been bumped as a feature here before for more edible and medicinal plants. However, I love this shrub so much and want to talk about it! Have you noticed a mostly inconspicuous shrub in the understory of woods around Haliburton that is rubbery? With leathery branches and stems …

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The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 4 (Poisonous Plants), Chapter 4: Blue Flag Iris

The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 4 (Poisonous Plants), Chapter 4: Blue Flag Iris

Dear Wood Folk, We’ve covered a tinier iris before: blue-eyed grass. It’s a miniature lookalike you might find in your lawn around cottage country Ontario. Our title iris on the other hand can grow close to a few feet tall. Common along wetlands here, Northern blue flag (Iris versicolor) is our native blue flag iris. …

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